The time has finally come. It’s the day we’ve been working so hard all summer for – the home opener! It was such an indescribable feeling strutting onto the field shaking our pom poms and getting ready to do our first pregame performance of the season. Just looking up into the stands, I thought to myself “Wow, we truly have the best fans in the NFL and they’re still cheering for us in the pouring rain.” I have always looked up to the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders since I became a cheerleader myself at the age of 6. It feels incredible being the one on the field. Knowing that you may be inspiring a future cheerleader is an incredible feeling.

Dancing on the sidelines was such a blast! The thought of having so much energy at a Dolphins game and being able to use that energy and dancing for such an amazing organization is a blessing. Throughout the first quarter, I had many emotions. Not only was I performing what I put so much effort into, but looking up to see my family in the 140 section waving at me with huge smiles across their faces made all that work feel so rewarding. At halftime we performed with Austin Mahone, a 17-year-old pop singer who has an immense amount of talent. We had been preparing the dance for almost 2 weeks and we did such a great job performing it! I know we rocked that performance!

One of the many memorable moments that happened on Sunday was seeing the military surprise right in front of my eyes in the 2nd quarter. Looking up to see one of our military troops saying hello to his loved ones, telling them to enjoy the game and wishing he was there with them brought tears to my eyes. Little did the family know that he was there and would soon be running to them on the field as the video ended. It was the most beautiful surprise I have ever witnessed. The looks on their faces were the happiest ever.

Before I knew it, it was the end of the fourth quarter. Between the non-stop dancing and cheering, the game flew by and we won 27-23 as Ryan Tannehill’s touchdown pass to Dion Sims was complete! A one handed catch that proved this is our time! Cheering to the fight song after such a great win was so fun! I didn’t want to get off the field.

Four months ago, I could’ve never imagined how exciting and rewarding it would feel to be dancing for the Miami Dolphins and to know that a simple audition led to doing what I love and performing in front of 70,000 enthusiastic fans.